Knitting needle



Nov. l4, 1930u W H, LEM/IN E-r A. l1,780,790

KNITTING NEEDLE Filed July 1'?, 192B Patented Nov. 4, 1930 lU1\IITI=.Dl STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. LEAvIN AND SAMUEL B. LRAVIN, or NEW YORK, N. Y., AssIGNoRs, RY mRsNE ASSIGNMENTS, To GoTHAM KNITBAG MAcIIINE CORPORATION, or NEW YoRx, N. Y., A CORPORATION or DELAWARE f KNITTING NEEDLE Application mea July 17, 192s. serial No. 293,430.

- This invention relates to a'knitting needle and particularly tondevices of this nature adapted to be manipulated by hand, or 1 n a machine of the class described in our application for Letters Patent, filed January 23,

v 1928, Serial No. 248,806, Patent No. 1,708,675,

for the repair ofruns in knitted fabrics.

One of the objects of the present inventlon is to provide a needle of the nature .and for the purpose referred to which may be rapidly and easily manipulated to reestablish the loops of the runs, without the exercise of any particular skill.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a needle ofthe character and for the purpose referred to, which is simple in construction and so designed that it performs its function in an eflicient manner.

Further objects of the invention will ap pear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the structure hereinafter described as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the'appended claims.

This application is a continuation in part of our pending application Serial No. 248,807 filed January 23, 1928, for Knitting needles. The subject matter of the present application relating to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, is the same as appears in the above entitled case, while the matter relating to Fig. 6 is additional matter. 1

In the accompanying drawing,-

Figure 1 is an enlarged view in longitudinal section of a needle embodying our invention taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the latch of the needle in open position,

Fig. 2 is aview in side elevation of the same showing the latch in closed position.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same showing the latch in open position.

Fig. 4 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 4 4, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a run in the fabric to be repaired.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal section of a preferred form of needle embodying our of the shank and the hook portion,.the said shank is inclined at an angle to the rest of the shank as indicated at 3. The latch member 4 is pivotally connected at one end to the shank 1 in a slot 5 therein. Located in the slot 5 and secured to the shank in any suitable manner is a spring 7. The spring 7 is positioned so as to engage the cam shaped portion 6 of the latch member and to normally hold said latch member under aslight tension in open position, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3.

If the needle is operated by hand, the shank 1 is secured -to a suitable handle (not shown) so that it can be more readily operated. In case the needle is used in a run repairing machine, such as shown and described in our pending application for Letters Patent above referred to, the shank is secured in the-usual manner to the needle bar of the machine.

It is an important feature of our invention that the parts of the needle above described should be of certain definite proportions and thatvthey be disposed with respect to each other in certain definite relation. The latch member `for instance should be of such a length that, when it is closed its free end just engages upon the bill of the hook.v In a needle constructed in accordance with our invention, for use in repairing runs in hosiery, for instance, the latch member is preferably an approximate length of .146 of an inch. The width of the hook portion is proportioned so that when the latch is closed thereon, the said latch member will lie at a predetermined yangle with respect to the bill and shank of the hook. In order to have the latch member coact with the hook at the desired angle in closed position, it hasbeen found that on a needle for repairing runs for hosiery the hook portion should heapular fabric.

proximately :.043 of an inch in width. These proportions of the parts and the1r d1spos1- tion with respect to each other will, of course, vary according The needleis manipulated in repairing a iun in knitted fabric whether'bylhand or in the machine referred to lin the following manner.

The fabric containing the run, as illustrated in Fig. 5 is supported in a suitable manner inposition to be operated on, so that the needle can be inserted between the cross threads a of the run. The cross threads form'- ing the ladder of the run are, if desired, spaced apart sufficiently in any suitable manv ner to allow the needle .to bevinserted between Vao them.

The hook 2 of the needle is then inserted into position to engage the first, cross thread of the run and said cross thread is then pulled upward into a loop. During this operation the latch is in open position, being held in such position by'the spring 7. The needle is then thrust downwards again in front of the next succeeding cross thread c of the run. On thisdownward stroke of the needle the loop b slides up the shank of the needle, and

, over the latch, causing the latch to beswung b ack Ia ainst the shank. The inclined portlon 3 acilitates this operation. The needle is then withdrawn upwards from beneath the run in such a manner that the hook engages the second cross thread c of the run and pulls the same upwards into a loop above the fabric.` As the needle is ascending and pullplace in the stocking or other fabric in anyconvenient manner,as for instance by manually sewing it to the fabric.

In'the construction shown in Fig. 6 weprovide a needle for the purposes set forth which appears to be the 'most practical form by m ans of which re airsl may be rapidly made the fabric wit out skipping threads or otherwise producing an uneven repair. In this form of needle there is employed as before a straight shank portion 1 and an inclined shank portionlO. The inclined portion 10 lies at an angle -with respect tothe straight portion l1. In best practice this angle Ashould be ofthe order of 20 to 30.

. The inclined ortion 10 then runs into a Secondincline portion 3 which extends at an angle with respect to the portion 10, as in the case of the form of needle shown in the to the nature of the partic--` vother figures. In other words; the needle of the form shown in 6 is the same in all respects as the needle shown in the other figures with the exception that the shank portion instead of being straight until 1t reaches the inclined portion 3 has another inclined portion of greater extent, as shown,v

at 10. We have found in actual practice that a needle of -this form is by far the most practical type yet devisedvby us and has the highly important feature in use that-` the" needle when ascending does not tend to catch on the cross thread next following the thread being looped at the lever 4. With the type of needle shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, this sometimes occurs causing two of the cross threads to be caught by the hook during the looping operation. By providing the shank 1 with the inclined portion 10 thelever 4 is thrown back to the left, as will ,be apparent by comparing Figs. 1 and 6, so as to beless liable to catch on the nextl cross thread and `foul the correct looping operation. Another highly important advantage of the form of needle shown in Fig. 6 is that as'the needle ascends each time to catch a cross thread in the hook 2 in line with the hook and falls thereinto ea time without ski ping or missing a'thread. This also results because of, the inclined portion 10. The net result is that quick and -it is found that the cross thread is directl better work is done with the form ofneedle shown in Fig. 6.

It will be understood that the'spring 7 of the needles merely exerts suiiicient tension on the latch to keep it in open position when manually raised or forced to that` position b the action of the thread of the loops.

hen the latch is forced to its closed position the spring will not cause it to return to its open position when the loop which causes it to close slides olf the hook and relieves the pressure on the latch. Such return ofthe l f latch to open position is accomplishedbythe next loop m the same manner as previously described.

loo

' los What we claim as new and-desire to `secure A by `,United States Letters Patent is:

1.A A needle for repairin runs in knitted fabrics comprising ashank aving a strai ht portionand a slotted inclined portion an ahooked portion joined to said'slotted inclined portion by a v.second inclined rtion, a latch member ivotallyzconnecte at one end in the slotted inclined ortion and cooperating at its free end witl the tip of the.

hooked portion, said second' inclined portion being disposed at such an angle with respect to the slotted inclined portion and the hooked endv portion that the width of thehook will permit the latch fmember to lie at a pre- .determined angle with respect to the tip" of the hook and the inclined slotted portion of the shank when it is closed upon said tip. 2. A needle for repairingruns in knitted fabrics having a shank com rising three por-` tions each lying at an ang e with respect to the other, one of said portions being slotted, and its adjacent portion being provided with a hooked shaped end and being disposedl at such an angle withy respect to its adjacent slottedwportion that the tip of the hooked shaped end is a predetermined distance from the said adjacent sltted portion, and a latch member pivotally connectedn the slot of said slotted portion and adapted to cooperate at itsdfree end with the tip of the hooked shaped en 3. A needle for repairin runs in knitted fabrics comprising a shank aving a stra' ht portion and a slotted inclined portion an a hooked portion joined to said slotted in-` clined portion by a second inclined portion', a latch member ivotally connected at one end in the slotted inclined ortion and cooperating at its free end wit the tip of the hooked portion, said second inclined portion being disposed at such an angle with respect to the slotted inclined portion andthe hooked end portion that the width of the hook will permit the latch member to lie at a predetermined angle with respect to the t1p of the hook and the inclined slotted portion of the shank when it is closed u on said tip and a tension spring disposed 1n the slotted inclined portionyand arran ed to exert a tension on the latch member to eep it in o en position when it is raised by the action o a thread in the run being repaired.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands on this 16th day of July, A. D.

SAMUEL B. LEAVIN. WILLIAM H. LEAVIN. 

